Best Foundations & Concealers for Hyperpigmentation to Cover Spots
When dealing with an annoying skin concern like hyperpigmentation, the best thing to do is get even, and not mad. Especially with the best foundations & concealers for hyperpigmentation. These neutralize your skin’s uneven complexion and cover all your spots and blemishes the most naturally. Even melasma, sun damage, and rosacea.
In fact, these makeup solutions minimize discoloration as well. And if you genuinely wish to address hyperpigmentation at its very core, then I would also recommend incorporating a healthy, nutritious diet into your life that strengthens your skin’s natural defense.
As for color-correction, here are the beauty formulas you’ve been looking for…
The 10 Best Foundations for Hyperpigmentation
1. Dermablend Intense Powder Camo Mattifying Foundation
Not so surprisingly effective, considering the brand is Dermablend, this mattifying foundation covers all your spots, scars, and discoloration. Being non-comedogenic and in the powder form, it’s a very suitable choice for oily skin.
You get lightweight buildable coverage for camouflaging redness and hyperpigmentation. Its high-performance pigments are easy to glide onto your skin. And bonus points for being allergy-tested, fragrance-free, and sensitive skin tested.
2. Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation
This is the liquid version of the Dermablend foundation reviewed before this. Much like that one, it’s also fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, allergy-tested, and sensitive skin tested. Along with dermatologist-tested and non-acnegenic.
What’s also different is that the liquid foundation offers SPF 25 sun protection and 24-hour hydration. Therefore, making this an ideal option for dry skin. The texture is smoothing and coverage buildable. Also, it’s a smoothing foundation that never looks cakey at any point during the day.
3. Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation
A lightweight, multitasking full coverage foundation like this is not easy to stumble upon. One that’s also equipped with skin texture and tone correcting Amazonian Clay. This formula, no doubt, covers your discoloration and blemishes.
It’s also got Vitamin E for skin nourishment from within. The Tarte 12-hour coverage here contains micronized titanium and zinc as well, which protect your already delicate skin from any further environmental damage.
4. Clinique Even Better Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF15 Foundation
Now how about an oil-free foundation that conceals your age spots and uneven skin tone? This Clinique formula also improves your skin’s clarity.
With its broad-spectrum SPF 15 sun protection, you can protect your discolored skin complexion and rough texture from further damage and darkening, that’s for sure. Also, I don’t want to forget to mention that this foundation is actually developed by dermatologists!
5. bareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation
Too many things are praiseworthy about this serum foundation. Firstly, it’s all ready to protect your damaged skin from the sun with its broad-spectrum SPF 20 sun protection. Secondly, the makeup solution is hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested.
Thirdly, you can turn to this mineral formula to correct and brighten your skin tone irrespective of your own natural skin tone and skin type. The foundation has been clinically proven to do that you know. And lastly, it’s formulated without the use of any fragrances, parabens, silicone, and oil.
6. Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup
Estee Lauder is soon to become your go-to makeup solution for camouflaging your problematic areas. And it doesn’t matter how old you are, the double wear foundation creates a healthy, more luminous coverage. With a long-lasting, natural-looking finish.
And great news, the brand has added SPF 15 for establishing a strong physical barrier between your skin and the sun and environmental stressors like pollution.
7. L’Oreal Paris Infallible Total Cover Foundation
L’Oreal Paris always provides makeup enthusiasts with options. Proof? This Total Cover Foundation comes in 12 different shades. And, no doubt, each one has a natural finish and weightless feel that last for as long as 24 hours.
The high-load pigments instantly conceal scars, dark spots, blemishes, and hyperpigmentation. On top of that, the mousse-like, velvety consistency makes blending the foundation an effortless task and also doesn’t leave even oily skin feeling cakey or greasy at the end of the day.
8. Revlon ColorStay Makeup SPF 20 Liquid Foundation
Do you prefer medium coverage that, on days, you can build to full coverage? In that case, turn your attention to this oil-free liquid foundation equipped with SPF 20. It stays on for nearly 24 hours, which means a longer-lasting seamless finish.
The foundation does the trick even in the case of oily skin and acne breakouts. That too with natural-looking full coverage and a super-light feel. It is oil-free after all.
9. Vichy Dermafinish Corrective Fluid Foundation
High coverage with a high SPF rating (broad-spectrum SPF 30), this lightweight fluid foundation is formulated using titanium dioxide. In comparison to regular foundations, this one delivers longer-lasting wear.
Your signs and spots of hyperpigmentation are sure to hide away under natural-looking, smooth, and evenly balanced coverage. And then come the labels like fragrance-free, allergy-tested, non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested, etc.
10. Smashbox Studio Skin Hydrating Foundation
A hydrating foundation that controls oil; how about that! This Smashbox oil-free formulation is specifically created for women struggling with both oily skin and hyperpigmentation. The foundation blurs your skin concerns with the help of light-diffusing spheres.
The coverage ranges from medium to full, which is ideal in most cases. Plus, this makeup fix is resistant to sweat, humidity, and water.
The 7 Best Concealers for Hyperpigmentation
1. NYX Professional Makeup HD Photogenic Concealer Wand
A concealer wand like this truly works like a magic wand when it comes to covering skin discoloration, blemishes, and even dark circles smoothly. You can use this magic wand irrespective of your skin type, all thanks to its non-comedogenic properties.
Moreover, there are 23 different color-correcting shades to choose from. And each shade by NYX Professional delivers light to medium coverage on every skin tone. And what’s astonishing to know is that all products manufactured by this makeup brand are PETA certified cruelty-free.
2. Revlon PhotoReady Concealer Stick
Revlon, no doubt, ranks among the topmost beauty brands for all the good reasons. Their concealer stick is a creamy formula that’s the easiest to glide onto your skin for seamlessly camouflaging skin discoloration and hiding dark circles.
Its HD filter technology takes care of spots, scars, uneven complexion, and skin damage. Instant perfection is to be expected. And the angled tip of the concealer stick makes the application part of the process more convenient and precise.
3. Vichy Dermafinish Concealer Stick
Up until now, I’ve mostly talked about light i.e. natural to medium coverage, but what about high coverage that also has a natural-looking finish? For that, turn to Vichy Dermafinish Concealer Stick. It, despite being lightweight, covers your blemishes, uneven skin tone, and dark circles.
Furthermore, Vichy is all about boosting skin health. And you know that it’s true when there are ingredients like Vichy’s exclusive thermal water added to the formula. This hydrates and fortifies your troubled skin. Even talc is included for creating a mattifying effect.
4. e.l.f. Cosmetics Maximum Coverage Concealer
Now here’s a cruelty-free, vegan concealer for those who love bunnies. The brand e.l.f. Cosmetics have formulated this oil-free concealer that acts as the best blemish corrector. It’s a lightweight makeup solution ideal for oily and acne-prone skin since it doesn’t clog pores.
You can blend the concealer onto your skin to effortlessly hide way your discoloration and acne. Just one application is enough for maximum coverage that lasts all day long.
5. Shiseido Perfecting Skin Concealer
This multifunctional concealer gently melts into your skin without causing any creases or even fading. The formulation delivers long-lasting hydration as well. As for camouflaging your skin discoloration and uneven texture, there are no complaints of any kind.
It’s a rich, creamy makeup solution for lightening, brightening, and clearing your complexion. And the fact that the concealer is hypoallergenic too makes the deal even more inviting.
6. Dermablend Quick-Fix Full Coverage Concealer
Dermablend has made an appearance several times so far. Is it because their products are fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic, allergy-tested, etc.? Or is it because their foundations and concealers, like this one here, feature high-performance pigments that smoothly conceal discoloration, blemishes, acne scars, and the like? Both!
This Quick-Fix remedy works on the most sensitive type of skin too. Easy to glide on, maximum, 16-hour coverage, and transfer-resistant, the non-drying concealer‘s creamy texture creates a naturally flawless appearance.
7. MAC Studion Finish Concealer
A lightweight yet creamy concealer bound to create an invisible barrier of coverage, which by the way is also water-resistant. MAC beauty products, including this one of course, are always non-acnegenic and fragrance-free.
The super-concentrated consistency of MAC Studio Finish Concealer enables just a teeny tiny amount for building opaque coverage that hides away your discoloration. On top of that, the product is infused with Vitamin E and Vitamin A antioxidants and silica. One is for protection while the other for absorbing excess skin sebum.
Types of Foundations for Covering Spots
It’s only natural to assume that not all foundations provide the same level of coverage. And with hyperpigmentation, the more frequent and/or darker the spots, the heavier the foundation coverage should be. That said, let’s decide which type of foundation your skin needs…
Sheer Powder Foundation
This comes in the form of a compact that consists of flat powder. It works best for those who don’t require a lot of coverage, meaning it’s a good choice for just a few light spots or mild hyperpigmentation.
Mineral Powder Foundation
Let me make it clear that mineral powder foundations don’t cover spots that are much too prominent. Finely milled powder is what mineral powder foundation consists of. These are ground minerals good for the skin.
As for the coverage level, it ranges from medium to heavy. Some women dealing with hyperpigmentation first apply mineral powder foundation in order to prep the skin for the liquid version. Maybe you could do that too, but just make sure your skin doesn’t look cakey.
Beauty experts at Green Room Spa highly recommend prepping the skin with a primer of this kind before applying any type of foundation for the perfect coverage.
Liquid Foundation
The classic and most popular type of foundation, the liquid foundation offers natural i.e. light to heavy coverage. The former, more often than not, is water-based. And the latter is usually oil-based.
Creme Foundation
This is a thick, creamy foundation that is easy to blend onto your skin with the help of a damp or dry sponge. Full coverage is what you get, no doubt. Also, it gives a smoother appearance than the other types of foundation.
Mousse Foundation
A more recent discovery, mousse makeup foundation is surprisingly very effective in terms of feeling lightweight and moisturizing the skin. Coverage ranges from light to moderate, which makes it an ideal choice for concealing light to medium skin discoloration, dark spots, acne scars, etc.
Choosing Foundations and Concealers for Hyperpigmentation
Choose the Right Shade of Foundation (Based On Your Skin Tone)
This brings the color wheel into the picture. You have to choose a shade that’s directly opposite to the shade of your dark spots. For instance, are your acne scars or age spots red? If yes, then the color opposite to red on the color wheel is green. That means green shades are going to neutralize the redness of your marks.
Then there are peach and pink foundations and concealers for addressing blue veins and dark discoloration on pale or fair skin by making them disappear. On the other hand, red and orange shades color-correct purple veins and dark discoloration on a darker complexion.
Level of Coverage
In the case of hyperpigmentation, full coverage works best. But then there are women who prefer a more natural i.e light coverage in case their scars, spots, and discoloration aren’t too severe or noticeable.
Most foundations and concealers deliver buildable light to moderate coverage. So if you want heavy, make sure the makeup solution contains a higher percentage of pigments. More specifically, between 23 and 35 percent of pure pigments. This kind is the most helpful for covering difficult areas.
SPF Sun Protection
One of the most effective ways to treat hyperpigmentation naturally is to put on sunscreen. Unprotected sun exposure only aggravates the condition, thus giving rise to more discoloration, dryness, spots, premature aging signs, and overall skin damage.
And when there are foundations and even concealers equipped with SPF, then why not make the most of that! Choose broad-spectrum SPF as that protects your troubled skin from both the UVB and UVA rays of the sun.
Ingredients That Reduce Hyperpigmentation
Apart from SPF, the foundation or concealer should contain ingredients that actually lighten and clear up your uneven complexion. Such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Amazonian Clay, thermal water, etc.
As for what ingredients generally reduce hyperpigmentation, the answer is gentle skin exfoliators like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and retinol. Then there are skin brighteners as well; the list includes niacinamide, hydroquinone, azelaic acid, and kojic acid.
Another thing to look out for are labels such as hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free, SLS-free, oil-free, allergy-tested, dermatologist-tested, and the like.
All of them have one thing in common; they don’t disrupt the natural, healthy chemistry of your skin, thus preventing acne breakouts, excess sebum, skin irritation, etc.
How to Cover Hyperpigmentation Using A Foundation and Concealer
For seamless, natural-looking coverage, please follow the simple instruction below:
Final Words
To make the skin look spotless and smooth is the underlying goal of all skincare and beauty products. Especially of foundations and concealers. But then skin conditions like hyperpigmentation get in the way. So when that happens, you have to choose your makeup solutions accordingly.
Just keep in mind that not all concealers are formulated to cover the skin discoloration associated with hyperpigmentation. And oftentimes just using a concealer alone is not enough. So you have to also choose a foundation with buildable coverage that targets your dark spots without interfering with the natural structure of your skin.
For makeup that addresses specific skin concerns, you may want to check out other related top recommendations - Primer for Large Pores, Foundation for Textured Skin, Primer for Wrinkles and Fine Lines.
